


Black, with no sugar

by grelleswife



Series: Death Note Ladies Appreciation 2020 [1]
Category: Death Note & Related Fandoms, Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Coffee, F/F, Gals being pals, Halle is a disaster bi, Kiyomi gets the girlfriend she deserves, Kiyomi is a repressed lesbian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-03
Updated: 2020-03-03
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:53:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22994275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grelleswife/pseuds/grelleswife
Summary: Kiyomi Takada requests that Halle join her for a coffee break, but both she and her bodyguard have more than caffeine on their minds.
Relationships: Halle Lidner | Halle Bullock/Takada Kiyomi
Series: Death Note Ladies Appreciation 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1652539
Comments: 5
Kudos: 10





	Black, with no sugar

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the 2020 Death Note Ladies Appreciation Week
> 
> I drew heavily on my personal headcanons when writing this oneshot. Hence, my Takada is a closeted lesbian whose main interest in Light stems from her desire for power. I hope that I succeeded in adding a bit more depth to her and Halle's characterization!

During her stint as a CIA agent, Halle had learned how dangerous emotions could be. They clouded your mind and caused your aim to waver at the exact moment when you needed to pull the trigger. In a world teeming with secrets and lies, sentimentality was fatal. Halle knew better than to make amateurish mistakes like befriending the suspect she was investigating for the SPK. To her alarm, though, it was getting harder and harder _not_ to like Kiyomi Takada. And damn, the woman was gorgeous.

A few minutes ago, her boss had decided she was in the mood for a coffee, and she’d immediately singled out Halle as the bodyguard who would accompany her.

“But Miss, it’s too dangerous for just one person—”

“I’ll be fine as long as you’re with me, Lidner. I trust you to do your job.”

 _I trust you_. Wasn’t that a laugh, when Halle was a mole working for Kira’s enemies? Still, she’d felt a weird rush at Takada’s words that left her hot and uncomfortable.

Halle snuck a look at Takada out of the corner of her eye as they walked to the café. She carried herself like a queen, and she was dressed to the nines in a well-tailored red coat and black dress, with elegant but practical heels. Her hair was shiny black like a crow’s feathers. Halle’d always had a soft spot for short, dark hair….

Shit, she shouldn’t be thinking about that!

She resolutely set her eyes forward, scanning the area for potential threats or nosy reporters eager for a word from Takada. She could hear the murmurs from passers-by.

“It’s…it’s her!”

“Lady Takada!”

“Kira’s spokeswoman!”

They weren’t bold enough to approach, of course; Takada parted the sparse crowd like Moses splitting the red sea.

Lady Takada. It was crazy how easily the media turned her into a legend, just like a deranged serial killer with an oversized ego had been rechristened as god of the new world. A world that the SPK wanted to destroy. _That_ was why she walked by Kiyomi’s—by Takada’s side. _I can’t forget my mission_.

The café staff fell over themselves in their efforts to be helpful, jumping like crickets to do Takada’s bidding. Halle and Takada were promptly escorted to a clean, secluded booth in the back. After Halle did a quick check for bugs and confirmed that it was safe from prying eyes, they sat across from each other, and an obsequious little man darted up to take their order. He nattered on about what an honor it was to have Lady Takada grace their establishment with her presence, how he was Kira’s greatest admirer…All that fawning made Halle want to puke. Besides, he didn’t _know_ Takada, probably had no clue about the ambition, dedication, and drive that had fueled her meteoric ascent. She noticed Takada’s left eyelid give an almost imperceptible twitch. Most people wouldn’t have spotted it, but Halle had learned Takada’s body language well enough to glimpse the little “tells” when she was tired or irritated.

“Black. No sugar, please,” Lidner asked, cutting through his babble.

A surprised look from Takada. Then, “I’ll have the same.” The waiter trotted away, almost tripping over his feet in his eagerness to please god’s spokesperson. A faint trace of amusement danced in Takada’s eyes as she watched him go. _You poor fool_ , those obsidian eyes derided. Then, her gaze flitted back to Halle, and the mockery was replaced by keen interest.

“I thought Americans preferred everything sweeter.”

No wonder Kira had chosen Takada for his mouthpiece. Each word was perfectly enunciated, the voice a rich, dark velvet that Halle wanted to wrap around herself like a fur coat, or swallow whole like smooth red wine while she devoured those painted lips.

“At my old job, I couldn’t waste time on frills and ruffles. I just needed something to wake me up so I could get the job done. Old habits die hard, I guess,” Halle laughed and shrugged. One hand clenched her pants leg beneath the table, betraying tension she didn’t dare show on her face. She had to keep it together. No way in hell was she going to crack because of a stupid crush.

Takada gave an approving nod and the hint of a smile. Halle got the feeling she’d passed a test she hadn’t realized she’d been taking. “You’re right…those syrupy drinks that pass for coffee belong to spoiled little girls. Like Amane.” She spat out the surname with contempt, as if she was describing a lesser species. “ _Black_ coffee is for women who don’t need sugar to cover up life’s bitterness. It’s a powerful drink.”

“Huh. Never thought of it that way, but I guess you’re right. The go-getters’ drink,” Halle grinned. Smiling around Takada was easier than it should be.

Right on cue, the waiter trotted up with their coffee. Takada accepted hers graciously, but with a touch of haughtiness around her mouth that made Halle want to kiss it. Damn. _Focus, focus_.

Takada’s graceful hands circled the cup in perfect balance. She stared meditatively into its steaming contents as if divining the future. Halle knew that look. The moment of deliberation. Takada was planning something…but what?

* * *

Of her four bodyguards, Lidner was easily Takada’s favorite. Briskly professional, with a polish that the others lacked. She had a hidden sharpness about her that reminded Takada of a knife tucked away in a drawer. Though she didn’t flaunt her skills, Halle had the air of a woman who could be extremely dangerous if the need arose. Power carefully controlled. Kiyomi smiled when she recalled how Lidner subdued that contemptible Misa Amane and the effortless strength and grace with which she moved.

Lidner was no Light Yagami. _He_ was a ruthless, cold, insatiable hunger. When Kiyomi touched him, she held Olympian lightning in her grasp, the kind that would shatter those who defied it. She didn’t view Light as a man but a force of nature to be regarded with awe, whose energy could be harnessed by the clever and capable for gain…or just as easily destroy them. Lidner wasn’t a conspirator with whom she exchanged hastily scribbled notes for fear of the task force’s eavesdroppers. She was someone Kiyomi could talk to about simple things that had nothing to do with deadly notebook pages or a god’s grandiose visions. The sort of person she could have coffee with.

Lidner sat like a lioness, flaxen hair cascading down her back, tawny eyes riveted to Kiyomi’s face. Beautiful. Kiyomi winced at the _want_ constricting her chest. She never wanted Light like this, not even when he took her in the plain bed with white sheets while stars glittered outside their hotel window.

If she was going to go through with this, she’d have to be cautious. Kiyomi had made peace with her preferences, but she wasn’t naïve enough to believe that the general populace could. The rivals who coveted her role would seize upon any weakness they could sniff out. All it would take was one false move to send her plummeting from the heights.

“Are you all right, miss?”

Lidner’s Japanese was faintly accented, but crisp and carefully articulated. Kiyomi appreciated attention to detail.

“Why do you ask?’ Back in her court. Push her a little.

Lidner cleared her throat. “Um…you just seemed lost in thought. I apologize. It’s none of my business.”

“No need for apologies,” Kiyomi purred. “I was just thinking about how much I enjoy your company. It isn’t every day that I have an attractive woman all to myself, without the distractions of work.”

Halle started and took an abrupt swig from her cup. Kiyomi smirked in satisfaction at the pink that tinted her cheeks. Her instincts had been right, then.

“I…er…um, I’m not that special, miss.”

“Please, call me Kiyomi. We can relax here.”

Lidner appraised Kiyomi cautiously. “Only if you call me Halle. Might as well be on a first-name basis…”

“Since we’re on a date?” Kiyomi finished for her. A bit forward, perhaps, but she wanted to see Lidner’s—no, Halle’s—reaction.

She was not disappointed. Sparks flew from those golden eyes.

“Oh, so that’s what you think this is?”

“Well, don’t you want it to be?”

Kiyomi nonchalantly stretched her leg beneath the table, just enough to brush her shoe over the top of Halle’s.

The American’s expression softened. “I wouldn’t say no.”

Kiyomi’s eyes flitted to her body guard’s suit-cuff, which had come partially unbuttoned. She had her weaknesses, but so did Halle.

“Allow me.”

She languorously put the offending button back into place. Halle gripped her hand in both of hers before she had a chance to withdraw it.

“My mother would say you have a pianist’s hands,” Halle murmured, lightly tracing the curve of Kiyomi’s fingers. Kiyomi knew that she couldn’t blame the scalding heat beneath her skin on the coffee.

“I’ve taken lessons since I was five. I’ll have to play for you some time.” She glanced demurely at Halle from beneath her lashes.

“You’d better!” the other woman laughed, a carefree, open sound that was alien to Kiyomi’s neatly-ordered, meticulously controlled world. It was refreshing.

For the next hour, they talked as Halle and Kiyomi, with a pleasure as simple and strong as a cup of black coffee.


End file.
